Do This!
Artist Marketing Newsletter Focusing on Action Steps.

What's Going On: Announcements /Classes
>>>Do This: Trust, but Verify
Tip / Find of the Week:  Following Up
Others Respond: What They Have to Say

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WHAT'S GOING ON

: : CLASS: A MARKETING PLAN THAT WORKS FOR YOU: :
Begins today, October 18
Feel like you're fumbling around with your art business? Trying everything and getting nowhere? The first key is to focus on where you want to be. The second key is to let go of the things that aren't working for you. It's not too late to enroll if you need to put your plan of attack on paper, look into it at http://www.artbizcoach.com/classes/mktgplan.shtml

: : WORKSHOP: COEUR D' ALENE : :
October 23
This Saturday I'll be in Coeur d'Alene, ID, to give a workshop on preparing for your exhibitions. If you're anywhere near, I'd love to see you there! http://www.artbizcoach.com/idaho

: : CLASS: THE ARTIST STATEMENT AND BEYOND : :
Begins Monday, November 1
Are you one of those artists who put off writing your statement until the very last minute? Then you place it in an envelope and hope you never again have to see it? That's no way to run a career! In our Public Art Projects teleclass last week, guest expert Karen Bubb made a special point of reminding those on the call how important it was to be able to articulate your work well. Here here! If you don't learn how to define yourself with words, others are going to start doing it for you and you might not like how they do it. This class will give you plenty of language to use when you most need it. And the $75 fee includes my help with the statement you come up with. http://www.artbizcoach.com/classes/statement.shtml

"I think I could sum up my position on this with the recitation of a brief Russian proverb 'Doveryai no Proveryai.' It means trust but verify."--Ronald Reagan in The New York Times (Dec. 4, 1987) 

Patrice Federspiel, Of Sunshine and Coconuts, 22x30". ©The Artist. http://www.artofaloha.com

I received an email a while ago from a client who was interested in signing on with a Web gallery. In a nutshell, she wanted to know if it was a good idea or not. She had heard a presentation by one artist who had become so busy from his Internet sales that he had to hire four assistants. Sounded good to her! And I can't blame her.

I do, however, have this note of caution: what works for one artist might not work for you.

There are some great Web galleries out there, which are run by people who genuinely care about their artists and want to help them succeed. A couple of them are even listed on my resources page: http://www.artbizcoach.com/resources/ebiz.shtml  These are easy places for beginning artists to get their work on the Internet. The owners have developed software that allows you to control your site easily without worrying too much about its daily care.

Then there are Web galleries that are in it for the big bucks. They're more than happy to take your money. They don't advertise and don't care much whether or not you make sales. After all, they make their money through subscriptions, not sales.

How do you know which ones are legitimate? As with everything in your art business, the onus is on you to trust, but verify. You can't blame anyone but yourself if you don't seek all the facts. What follows is a beginning checklist of what you should be asking.

►Create a mutual level of trust and respect with the owners. Ask them how long they have been in business and what their experience is with art and with sales? How many visits are they getting each month? How will they advertise and build vistorship? You deserve to know the answers to these questions and more. They are asking you for your business. If they're any good at all, they'll respect you for your professionalism.

►Visit their Web gallery. Is the art displayed appropriately and handsomely? Do you like the work? Would you be proud to have yours shown side-by-side those on the site? How is the quality of the photography? Are all works credited? Do they make it easy for customers to buy the art? (Take a moment to click through their ordering process.) If you were an art buyer looking for a particular type of art, would it be easy to find there? Is the art prominent? Or is it hidden behind a bunch of words. 

I'd caution anyone against getting involved with a Web gallery that lists its artists only in alphabetical order. After all, if I'm a buyer, how do I know if I want to click on the artists whose names begin with "M" or "T"? I don't! I want to look at something I like and I probably don't care whose name is on it.

► Ask the Web gallery for references. Tell them you'd like to speak with other artists on their site. I wouldn't trust any business that can't or won't give me a list of references.

► Ask the artists on the Web gallery how long they've been there. What are their sales like? Have they been paid in a timely manner (if the gallery processes the sales)? Is billing done in a professional way? How often do the owners communicate with their artist-clients? How do the owners help their clients make sales?

► Read the client agreement carefully. What is the time of your commitment? What is your financial commitment? Are they charging you a monthly fee? Or a commission on sales? Don't do business with a gallery that is double-charging you.

►Lastly, think about your financial commitment and compare it to other possibilities. For instance, would it be wiser to invest in your own Web site?

: : AUDIO CLASS: PUBLIC ART PROJECTS (YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED) : :
Did you miss last week's fantastic class on public art? Not to worry. It's now an audio download--complete with all of the accompanying resources. If you've ever thought about seeing your work in a city building or outside for passersby to see, try this class. There are 300 public art projects in the U.S. alone! Find out more at http://www.artbizcoach.com/classes/publicart.shtml

On a related subject, read the past issue of this newsletter, "Ask a Lot of Questions": http://www.artbizcoach.com/dothis/questions.shtml

If you use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, you can forward this page to a friend by going up to your menu and, under "File," select "Send"  or "Send Page."  Or just copy and paste this URL into a message: http://www.artbizcoach.com/dothis

TIP / FIND OF THE WEEK: Follow Up  

Since 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your customers, are you doing enough to stay in touch with people who buy your art? An online article in Entrepreneur magazine helps remind you of the many ways you can do this.

Q: I own a home based business. One of my biggest challenges is generating repeat business from customers. What are some cost-effective ways to follow up with customers so they keep coming back to do business with me?

A: Follow-up is extremely important to growing your home based business. Like anything worthwhile, consistent follow-up requires a lot of effort, but over time you'll reap the benefits of a steady stream of repeat business and referrals. After all, it takes far less time and money to sell to an existing customer than a cold prospect. So here are 9 follow-up tools sure to motivate your customers to keep coming back: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,302675,00.html

OTHERS RESPOND: What They Have to Say  

Richard Chapman, Moonhour at Kintla, night photography, 1998.  11x19.5". ©The Artist.

In response to last week's newsletter about mixing art and politics, I received this email from Richard Chapman of Missoula, MT:

"You said: 'Politics have been part of the artist's vocabulary for centuries.' I think that in one way or another politics has been the artists' vocabulary forever, and not just "a part" of it. Guernica comes to mind, of course. And some of Goya. Not to mention literary artists - about whom I am not all that literate, frankly. But politics is--in the best sense--about pushing the envelope, about taking a stance over there. Not here: over there--maybe in some place that prickles. Or annoys. Or enrages, even. But--over there.

"This is, more or less, a quibble, about your choice of words more than about your point. Which is well taken. But just between you and me, I'd like to suggest that the best art has always been about politics: art moves reality. Perhaps even still lifes, flowers in vases, half-naked women in Tahiti, sunflowers on acid - it's all about different eyes, different sights, people (women, in Picasso's case) with three eyes and odd geometric bodies, melting clocks - you understand, of course.

"So hooray for art and long may she poke fingers where they don't belong.

"As for the jerk who pushed his p.o.v. on you, that's not really all that much about politics. It's about domination. Which is why you reacted so strongly. And correctly."

See Richard's black-and-white photography at http://www.imagingthat.com/

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Copyright © 2004 Alyson B. Stanfield, Stanfield Art Associates. All rights reserved. 

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